The Winged Shoes Quest
by Kiaralilly
Summary: Annabeth and Percy have set out to find the sons and daughters of Hermes as a favor to the god. POV Macy, a daughter of Hermes. Macy witnesses terrible beasts and tries not to let friendships fall apart, all while learning about the veiled Greek world.
1. Naiads, Monsters, Gods, Oh My!

"What's your name, little girl?"

I tried to draw myself up to full height. "Macy." I said defiantly.

The police woman bent toward me a little more. "And your last name, sweetie?"

I crossed my name over my chest. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

"But I'm here to help you. I'm a police officer." She said gently.

"I don't need help." I said. "I live just down the street. I came to find my ball when it flew out the window." I lied. Okay, that was a lame excuse.

Suddenly there was a scream down the street, and the Police woman's walkie-talkie buzzed. I took that opportunity to dart past her and down the street. She was yelling at me to come back, but I soon lost her in the crowd of people. I turned left into an alley and climbed up onto a fire escape.

I watched her run past, and let out a sigh of belief.

I'm Macy Benson, and I've been on my own for three years. I'm eleven years old. I like being by myself. I can go wherever I want, whenever I want. I've been everywhere.

Later that day I was sitting in an empty box of a train, going back to my hometown, Chicago, from New York. For some reason I ran into the most monsters there…and I wasn't planning to go back.

Monsters? Yeah, I know I sound crazy. Many people have told me that. I run into mythical creatures I've only seen in movies. Eventually I learned how to fight them. They just burst into a cloud of smoke…and then I run like mad in case they brought any buddies. People don't seem to see them, either. Once while I was on a train I saw a bunch of horse-people. Centaurs, I think they're called. Nobody else seemed to see them, and when I shouted and pointed some kids said, 'What, are you afraid of horses?'

The train came to a screeching stop, suddenly, and the doors to my cart began to open. I rolled behind a bale of hay.

"Annabeth, I promised Hermes I'd find all his kids." A boy's voice said as he climbed into the cart. "The first one is an eleven year old girl that lives in Chicago. Then Wisconsin…Austin, Texas…and Los Angeles."

"I don't see why you can't send a Satyr." Complained his companion…a girl, by the sound of it.

"There aren't any left, and we owe it to Hermes to find these kids and take them back to camp." The boy replied flatly.

"Whatever, Seaweed Brain…what's the first girl's name, again?"

"Macy Benson."

I nearly gasped in shock. Why were they looking for me? I peeked around the hay.

A boy and a girl, both about sixteen, were sitting across the cart. The boy was holding a bronze sword that glittered faintly in the darkness, illuminating their faces.

I stood up, brandishing my own sword, trying to look braver than I felt. "How do you know my name?" I asked, trying to sound brave.

They looked at each other, and then the girl stood up slowly. "You're Macy Benson?"

"Yes. Who are you?" I pointed my weapon at them. "You aren't one of those monsters, are you?"

"No, Macy…my name is Annabeth and this is Percy. We're here to help you."

I hesitated. How could I be sure they weren't trying to hurt me? Who was Hermes? I didn't put down my sword. "Prove it."

The boy's sword shrunk into a pen and he put it in his pocket. The girl let her dagger clatter to the floor.

I shifted. "Fine. But what were you talking about…Hermes? Who's that? Why did you say I'm his daughter?"

They exchanged looks again. "Come here, Macy." Annabeth said gently. Something about this girl struck me as too nice to be a monster, so I inched closer to her. "Where are you going?"

"Chicago." I said, "But you didn't answer my question. Who's Hermes? That's a weird name."

"Have you ever heard of Greek mythology?" Annabeth asked.

"Like Zeus and Poseidon?" Suddenly my eyes grew wide. "Hermes is the Messenger of the Gods…the one with the winged shoes!"

"Exactly." Annabeth said.

"But what does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

"What would you say if I told you the Greek gods still existed…and all the 'myths' were actually real?"

Was this girl crazy? "That's ridiculous."

"Then how else do you explain the monsters that have been chasing you?" Percy said.

Okay, I was stumped. I tried to think of a retort, but nothing came. Finally I slumped a little and shuffled over to them. "Let's say I believe you. What does this have to do with me?"

"You're like us. Your father is Hermes…and your mom is mortal. You're a demigod, a Half-Blood...half god."

This interested me. My dad was a god? It seemed impossible, yet in the back of my head I knew she was right.

"Who are you parents…the god ones?" I was curious.

Annabeth smiled. "My mother is Athena…goddess of wisdom."

"My father is Poseidon, god of the sea." Percy said.

"So this is real? My dad is Hermes?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yes…and we've been sent to find you and your half-brothers and sisters."

Half-brothers and sisters....well, okay, then.

"Can I go with?" I asked immediately. "You're not going to send me back to my mom, are you?"

My mother wasn't the worst mother in the world…but she was pretty darn close. She worked way too much. I remember when I was really little, about three or four, having her around. And then her business took off and she began leaving me with nannies and babysitters. Finally it got to the point where she forgot my birthday...and never came to any of my school events. In her spare time she started seeing other guys, and last year she married this rich billionaire and we moved from our nice house with a big garden just outside of Chicago to a mansion in the city.

"No, Macy." Annabeth said with a sad smile. "And of course you can go with."

I spent the rest of the trip listening to Annabeth and Percy tell me everything I'd need to know about the veiled Greek world.

We got off the train in Chicago and took a taxi to the lake. "I can get us a ride, from here." Percy explained as Annabeth paid the driver and we walked out onto the dark, deserted beach.

"Hippocampi don't live in lakes, though, do they?" Annabeth questioned.

"No, but we can rent a boat, and I can get us to Sheboygan in no time." Percy said, pointing to a little shack.

We all started toward the shack, and when we got there…it was empty. "Oh no, we're going to have to wait until they get back, tomorrow morning!" I complained.

Percy laughed, as if that concept was funny to him. He walked up to the door and examined the padlock. He pulled out his pen, clicked it, and it grew into a sword. He slashed the lock like it was butter, and yanked the door open.

"What is he doing?" I asked Annabeth nervously.

"Getting a boat." She looked down at me and saw my expression. "Don't worry, he'll leave money for the owner, and we'll get it back to them."

I relaxed a little bit, at that. Percy dragged a big wooden boat big enough for the three of us out of the shack and pulled it to the water. "Hop in." he told us.

We climbed into the boat (a pathetic thing with no benches or anything…just a hollowed bottom) and Percy used a paddle to push us into the water… then pulled it on board. I was just about to ask how we were going to get all the way to Sheboygan, Wisconsin without using the paddle…or even if we used the paddle, for that matter, when forms began to materialize in the dark water.

Heads seemed to come from the water itself, and they giggled and greeted Percy.

"Hey…can you get us to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, guys?" he asked them. They nodded and the boat rocked, then shot forward.

"What was that?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Naiads…water spirits." Percy said, and settled back with his head against his backpack. "Why don't I take first watch, Annabeth?"

She didn't protest. "Macy, you should get some sleep, because this may be our last chance for a while."

Annabeth moved over next to Percy and I curled up on the bottom of the boat and used my own backpack as a pillow. I listened to the waves slop up against the sides of the boat, and the disconnected giggling.

It seemed weird, now, that I was in a boat in the middle of Lake Michigan with two teenagers telling me that the Greek myths…well, weren't myths. I couldn't shy away from the evidence, though. The naiads…the monsters that had been hunting me down since I had ran away from home.

Maybe I was just going to have to face the fact that I was the daughter of Hermes.


	2. I Meet My BigHeaded Brother

I didn't open my eyes right away when I woke up. I had learned in the past that pretending to be asleep for just a little longer was very beneficial. From this practice I had learned many things…when I was six, I learned there was no Santa Claus. When I was five, I learned there was no Tooth Fairy, and when I was ten, I learned that monsters aren't against attacking little girls in their sleep.

"Try not to wake her up, Percy." I heard Annabeth whisper.

"We have to wake her up…the naiads have to take the boat back." Percy replied. "Macy, come on, wake up."

I roused immediately and grabbed my backpack. My limbs were stiff, but I managed to scramble onto shore. It was near dawn, and the traffic was slowly trickling past on a road just beyond the beach. A wave hit my feet from behind and sent a cold wave of water into my shoes.

"Argh!" Annabeth complained, but Percy's shoes seemed perfectly dry as he stepped out of the water…even though they had just been immersed in water.

Percy shrugged and sat down in the sand with a map of Sheboygan, a notebook and a piece of old-looking paper. I sat down next to him and peered over his shoulder. The old paper had glittering, neat, ancient looking script on it that read:

…

_Macy Benson, eleven years old, Chicago, Illinois_

_Aristos Leos, twelve years old, Sheboygan, Wisconsin_

_Jamie King, ten years old, Austin, Texas_

_Evelyn and Odette Roads, thirteen and nine years old, Los Angeles, California_

…

"Aristos? Odette? What kinds of names are those?" I asked with a snicker.

"Aristos means something along the lines of 'best' in ancient Greek." Annabeth said without really paying attention. She was trying to coax the naiads into creating a spray of water for some reason, but they didn't seem to like her very much.

"It usually depends on the mortal parent. Maybe Aristos's mother is Greek." Percy explained, then turned his attention to Annabeth. "Let me do that…you read the map. It all looks like mush to me."

Annabeth nodded and tossed him a golden coin before taking her place next to me and burying her nose in the map.

Water shot up at Percy's command in a perfect spray, creating a rainbow. He tossed the coin into the mist. "O, goddess, accept our offering." Percy murmured, "Half-Blood Hill."

I sat forward, interested, as a face showed up in the mist.

"Ah! Percy. How are you?" It was a man with neat brown hair.

"We found Macy, Chiron. We're in Wisconsin on our way to…"

I got bored after that. I tuned out and drew figures in the sand.

Finally Percy was done talking to the man, and we climbed up a little incline to the road. It was a quiet morning…or, it was, until Annabeth and Percy got to arguing over the map.

"No, it's that way." Annabeth insisted. "If you go to the right, we'll end up right back at the lake."

"I didn't say go right, I said go straight…"

"No, you said go straight and then go right, and that's _wrong!" _

I resisted the urge to cut in…mostly just because they looked so annoyed.

We finally found the right house. It was a tall, boxy, two story house with a yard decorated with flowers and trees and bird baths. In the warm, peach-colored morning it seemed like the kind of place I could sit in forever and ever…which isn't a usual thought for me. I can't even sleep for more than eight hours at a time…if I'm lucky.

"Should we wait until later?" Percy asked, but before either Annabeth or I could reply, a face poked out of the door.

"Can I help you, children?" A woman asked. She was plump with dark hair and a slight accent.

Annabeth straightened and walked up to shake the woman's hand. "My name is Annabeth. This is Percy, and Macy. Are you Aristos's mother?"

The woman beamed. "Yes, I am. Are you friends of his?"

"Um, not exactly. We're friends of his father's."

"OH!" Ms. Leos said so loud I jumped. "Come in, come in."

"Keep your weapons on hand, I don't feel right about this." Annabeth murmured, and we followed her into the house. I was suddenly more aware of my sword, which was in its sheath up my sleeve.

In the living room a gangly blonde haired boy was sitting on the couch playing a video game. His hair was messed up and his eyes were red, like he had been playing the game all night. Behind him was a huge trophy case packed with athletic and academic trophies.

"Is that Aristos?" I asked, and his mother beamed.

"Yes, that's my boy, on his way to the leader charts in his little video game. Pancakes, anyone?" And she hustled off to the kitchen.

"Aristos? Can we speak with you?" Annabeth asked. Aristos paused the game and looked up.

"Sure. Shoot." He said.

Annabeth fiddled with her hands, like she wasn't really sure what to say.

"Have you come to admire the son of Hermes?" he asked finally, puffing up his chest.

"Hey!" I said pointing at him. "Big head knows he's a demigod."

Aristos stood up and strode over to us. "Come to marvel, mortals?"

"No, we've come to escort you to Camp Half-Blood, a training camp for demigods." Annabeth said patiently.

"Nah, I don't want to go to that place. It's for people who don't have any real talent." Aristos grinned.

"Look here, buddy…" Percy said, slipping his pen out of his shirt pocket. He looked kind of ticked off.

Annabeth gripped his arm forcefully. "It's the safest place for people like us." She told Aristos.

"Ha. You guys can't be demigods. You're too..."

Percy took a step forward. He towered over Aristos, who backed up, looking nervous.

Aristos's mother came in, then, holding a plate of muffins. I had thought she was going to bring pancakes, but, hey, food is food, and they smelled delicious.

Annabeth began telling Aristos's mother about the camp, while I examined the trophy case. Aristos had won spelling bees, writing contests, soccer, basketball, and baseball tournaments, and a fair number of track and field events. To me, this kid seemed like all bark and no bite.

Finally, at one point or another, Annabeth said something that I think kind of got to Aristos.

"Untrained demigods don't last very long. Your son is already twelve…I'm sure he's met monsters already?" Annabeth looked at Aristos pointedly.

Aristos went pale. "Oh, yeah, sure." He said weakly.

"But, if you think he's too young, we can come back and get him in a couple of years." Percy told Aristos's mother.

"No!" Aristos yelped. "I want to go with them, mom. I'm old enough! I'll be fine!"

Annabeth smiled triumphantly at Percy and me. As we were waiting for Aristos to pack, I leaned over to Annabeth on the couch. "Is Camp Half-Blood big?" I asked her.

"Yes, why?"

"I was just making sure it could hold Aristos's big ego."


	3. MmmMonster Donuts!

**Can I please get some reviews? I only have one, and like 120 people have at least opened the page. Hopefully most of them read my story….and I need some feedback, please! **

**:3 Kiaralilly**

…**..**

Aristos turned out to be the most _annoying _person on the face of the planet. We were on our way to Austin, Texas in an old car Miss Leos had lent us. Percy won the right to drive, since Annabeth didn't have her license…but she still got shotgun because she was reading the map, and I was stuck in the back with Aristos, who was complaining about Percy's driving.

"You're driving too slowly." Aristos complained.

"Too bad, it's called the speed limit." Percy replied icily.

"We'll never get there in time!"

"In time for what? We're not on a schedule."

Annabeth laughed. "For the first time…it's kind of nice."

Percy nodded.

It began to get dark, and when Aristos pulled out his Gameboy and began to play, I figured this would be a good time to get some sleep before he started complaining again.

_Putt-putt-putt puuuutt. _

The car slowed, shuttered to a halt and died with a gasp. Percy swore loudly and got out of the car.

"What's going on?" Aristos whined.

"Shut up." I told him, and slid out of the car into the cool night air.

I sat down, leaning against the fence on the side of the road.

"This is boring. When are we going to get to Texas?" Aristos asked Annabeth.

"Considering the fact that we are in Iowa right now, and we have no ride, this could take a while."

"I guess I could call Blackjack." Percy said to Annabeth.

"Who's Blackjack?" Aristos asked.

"A Pegasus." Percy replied nonchalantly.

…

We slept in the car that night. It wasn't very comfortable. Personally, I would have preferred riding on a Pegasus all night, but Annabeth suggested we wait until we had a real emergency. I started to wonder what they classified as an emergency… because I was pretty sure being stuck in the middle of nowhere with big-head and his Gameboy was one.

I was the first one to wake up. My forehead was pressed up against the cool window. Annabeth, who was supposed to have the second watch last night, had fallen asleep on Percy's shoulder.

I climbed out of the car, trying to be as quiet as possible, and stretched. I needed to take a bathroom break…so I climbed over the little white fence on the side of the road and into the trees. I was still walking when I heard a loud, obnoxious voice behind me.

"_Where _are you going?" Aristos asked.

"None of your beeswax, idiot." I snapped.

"Are you running away? Because I want to come, too."

"I'm not running away. I needed to use the restroom." I sighed.

"You're not going to find one out here."

I was just about to smack him when I heard voices behind me.

"Did you hear that?" I whispered.

"Yeah." Aristos had gone pale. I slipped my sword out of my sleeve and crouched behind a bush.

I could see a building with a big neon sign… "Monster Donut?" I whispered. Some big guys were walking through the doors, but when they shut, the light was hitting the glass in a way that prevented me from seeing inside. It struck me as weird…a random doughnut shop in the middle of the woods…and most of all, no parking lot? In fact, it was surrounded by overgrowth.

"Oh! Donuts. I have some money, let's go get some!" Aristos said happily, and jumped to his feet. "I love donuts."

Aristos stood up. I tried to yank him back down, but he swatted away my hand.

"What if it's a trap, big-head?" I asked in a whisper.

"It's a donut shop, what's the harm? And I'm the oldest, so I'm in charge."

"I'm the smartest, I'm in charge!"

"Ha, smartest! When was the last time _you _got an academic trophy?"

"When was the last time _you _stopped and thought about something? It says _monster _donuts, and we're in the middle of nowhere!" I snapped.

Aristos suddenly stiffened and looked wide eyes over my head. I turned around slowly to see a spiked tail swish and knock down a couple of trees. Several heads poked over the leaves and hissed at us.

Aristos screamed and ran toward the donut shop. What was I going to do? I couldn't fight this thing by myself.

I raised my sword shakily, and suddenly I had five heads hissing and sneering at me. "Nice heads." I whimpered. _'Come on, Macy. You can do it.' _I told myself.

One head shot toward me and I dropped and rolled out of the way, but before I could get up it came down on me again. I slashed with my sword and cut off a spike on its leathery head. It howled and spit green goo at me. Something told me I didn't want to take a shower in monster spit, so I stumbled back. The goo hit a bush and it shriveled.

Behind the monster I caught a glimpse of Percy and Annabeth. Percy was battling a head as Annabeth dug through her backpack.

"What is this thing?" I yelled at Percy, slashing at the monster again.

"It's a Hydra…don't cut off its heads!" he responded, dodging the acid.

"_Don't _cut off its heads? What use is that?"

"If you cut off its head you open another Monster Donut!"

I wasn't sure why we care about that, but I figured I ought to listen to him.

Annabeth had a box of matches and was trying to light a tree branch on fire, but she was trying to dodge an acid-spitting head at the same time.

"Where's Aristos?" Percy asked, coming to my side.

"Monster Donut shop."

"That isn't good."

"AHHH!" Aristos came running out of the Monster Donut shop, his arms flailing. "CYCLOPES!!"

A tall Cyclops was barreling out of the shop. "BROTHER!"

"Tyson!" A look of relief spread over Percy's face.

"Percy, watch out!" Annabeth yelled as the Hydra swatted at Percy. I grabbed Percy by the arm, since he wasn't paying attention, and pulled him out of the way.

"Bad kitty!" The Cyclops named Tyson yelled, shaking a finger the size of a sausage at the Hydra. "Go back to your cave!"

The Hydra bowed its head like it was ashamed and slinked back through the trees. Annabeth was staring at Tyson with her mouth open. "How did you do that?"

But Tyson was hugging Percy so tightly I was sure Percy was going to snap in half. "Brother, I missed you!"

He let Percy go. "Good to see you, too, buddy."

"Annabeth!" Tyson scooped Annabeth up next as Percy picked up his sword and shrunk it back into his pen.

"The Cyclops is eating Annabeth! Do something!" Aristos said, pushing me in the back.

"He just saved us, big-head." I snapped, pushing him back. "Way to go screaming into the _Monster _Donut shop, just like I told you not to, and leave me alone with the Hydra!"

"Who are the small fighting people?" Tyson asked.

"This is Macy and Aristos. Their dad is Hermes." Percy said.

"The guy with the funny snakes?"

"Yeah."

"They're like the guy with the funny eyes." Tyson said darkly.

Percy scratched his head. "Um, sort of."

…

While Aristos tried to badger Annabeth about what Tyson meant about the snakes and they guy with the funny eyes, Tyson ran up to the donut shop to get us a dozen donuts.

"Who's the guy with the funny eyes? Was he a Cyclops, too? No, wait, Cyclops only have one eye. Was he a two-headed Cyclops? Was he evil? Did he kill somebody?"

Annabeth looked close to tears.

"Knock it off, Aristos." Percy said, and put his arm around Annabeth's shoulders.

Aristos scowled and edged away from Tyson as he sat down. "Donuts!" Tyson said happily.

We all dug in (Aristos a little more skeptically than the rest of us) to the box of powdered donuts. Percy was telling Tyson what was going on.

I know I haven't given much insight on what I've been thinking lately, so let me clue you in. I think Aristos is an idiot, Tyson is a little strange, but pretty cool, and Percy and Annabeth have an extensive history filled with monsters…which includes naiads, Hydras, and Monster Donut shops. Well, whoever they were, they were the real deal.

"What are you doing all the way in Iowa, Tyson? I thought you were still at dad's palace."

"Your dad has a palace?" Aristos asked, his eyes popping out of his head.

"Daddy is the sea god. His palace is in the ocean." Tyson beamed.

Aristos scooted away from Tyson. "He's your brother?" he asked Percy.

"Yeah, my half brother." Percy said with a shrug.

Aristos looked repulsed.

"Cool." I said, and Tyson beamed at me.

I was actually starting to enjoy this trip.


	4. I Hit The God of War With Berry Gum

Tyson fixed the car, and we were back on the road after a very tearful goodbye. Only Tyson cried…but he has some really big tears.

We were driving through Missouri. The air conditioning had failed an hour ago, so we had the windows rolled down, and I had my head sticking out the window like a dog, trying to catch a cool breeze. It wasn't exactly warm outside…it was just so humid that without the air conditioner it was like sitting in a hot tub fully clothed.

We stopped at a gas station to get gas, drinks and maybe one of those mini fans.

Annabeth came up to Percy as he was loading drinks into his arms. "Look at this."

"The Gateway Arch?" I asked, looking at the brochure she was holding.

"Oh, ha, ha." Percy said tonelessly.

"Can we go there?" Aristos asked.

"No!" Percy and Annabeth said at the same time, making us both jump.

"There's a particularly nasty monster there." Percy said darkly. "Now, come on, we still have to find Jamie King."

"Hopefully he's nicer than big-head here." I said just loudly enough for Aristos to hear me.

"Hey!" Aristos complained, chucking a pack of gum at the back of my head.

I threw it back at him and he ducked. It soared across the store and hit a very big biker guy in the ear. He stiffened and turned. "Who threw that?" he asked in a threatening voice.

"Ares." Percy grumbled.

Okay, I knew that wasn't good. Ares was the war god, and I had just hit him in the ear with berry Stride.

"Ah, if it isn't the little hero of Olympus." Ares said with a crooked, evil smile. "And, by what I've heard, the hero's little girlfriend and the mini messengers."

"What are you doing here?" Percy asked. I could practically see his temper boiling up past his ears.

"Ah. Just came to check up on my favorite little hero." Ares said sarcastically.

Percy looked like he wanted to punch him, which I didn't think was advisable. Ares looked pretty mean, especially when he took off his glasses, and instead of eyeballs there was angry, hateful fire in his sockets. Aristos fainted.

"He's a tough one." Ares said, nodding at Aristos as I tugged the skinny idiot to his feet.

"What are you doing here?" Percy repeated.

"None of your business, Achilles boy. But if you must know, I have some…personal business here in Missouri." He grinned. "However, you can do me another favor."

Percy looked like he was about to refuse, but Annabeth elbowed him in the rib cage. "Yes, sir." Percy said reluctantly.

"Good boy. I need you to take one of my kids to Camp Half-Blood…like you're doing for Hermes. I tried to request a Satyr but they're all booked. Luckily I've got Achilles boy, here, to help me." Ares said, skimming through the magazines.

Annabeth pulled out her notebook.

"His name is Seth. He lives here, in Missouri…just a mile up the road. He's already fourteen, and beginning to run into some big trouble. I was too busy to claim him while the war was going on." Ares said with a shrug.

Ares told us his address.

"Keep my boy safe, Achilles boy. Not that he'll need much help." Ares flashed us a wicked smile and left.

"I really don't like him." Percy growled. "Achilles boy. I have a name."

"You sure do, Achilles boy." Annabeth grinned.

"What does that mean? What war? What was he talking about?" Aristos demanded.

Percy ignored him and paid for the drinks before we loaded back into the hot car and began to drive to Seth Macarthur's house.

Aristos cracked open a Coke and slurped it down in one go.

"Oh, that's healthy." I commented. Aristos shrugged and capped the bottle.

I stuck my head back out of the window and watched the trees whip past. I caught a glimpse of a wide, open grassy area occupied by a…

A giant cat?

I tapped Annabeth on the shoulder. "Did something escape from the zoo?"

"Oh _gods _it's a Nemean Lion!"

"I thought I killed him." Percy said in shock.

"Well obviously he came back! What are we going to do?"

"Do we have to do anything?" Aristos asked, his voice shaking. "That's a really big cat."

The Nemean Lion turned its head to us and roared. It shook the car and Aristos screamed and jumped out of the slowed car.

"Come back, big-head!" I yelled as Aristos jumped behind a bush.

Percy stopped and got out of the car with his sword in his hand as the lion approached us, snarling.

"How'd you get rid of him last time?" Annabeth asked him.

"Zoë, Bianca, Thalia and Grover distracted him and I threw space food down its throat."

"That's helpful." Annabeth asked sarcastically.

Percy didn't reply.

"ROOOOAAAR."

I realized then that I was still in my seat in the car.

"Macy, hide!" Annabeth said.

"No, I want to help." I heard myself say. Huh, an odd thing for someone whose insides are screaming 'Run! Run!' to say.

The lion jumped toward us and landed with a force that shook the ground.

"It has to have a weak spot." Annabeth said. "Macy and I will distract the lion while you try to find it."

Annabeth didn't wait for Percy's okay…she ran toward the lion. Oh, no. I wasn't running _toward _the thing. It was _huge. _

Annabeth was slashing at the lion, stabbing it in the toe (the blade bounced off), then running around in the back of him to get him to turn around.

Percy ran toward the back of the lion and climbed up its leg. What, was he crazy?

I couldn't get myself to move. I am _not _a fan of cats.

I could see the three people down there fighting the lion, but it was like my brain couldn't process it.

Wait…three people?

I looked closer to see a huge, buff boy with spiked black hair and a massive sword. He was effortlessly fighting the lion as Percy scrambled up its head and poked it in the eye.

"ROOOOOOOOAAAAARR!" The sound was so horrible that I fell back into the grass. The lion began flailing around. The big guy and Annabeth were trying to stay out of its way as Percy clung to its mane for dear life.

The lion's tail swung through the air and hit Annabeth, flinging her off across the grass. Percy didn't seem to have noticed, and the big guy was now picking up heavy rocks and chucking it at it.

I ran to Annabeth, who was laying spread out on the ground. She looked like she was unconscious. I fell to my knees and checked her pulse. At least she was still alive.

I pulled her out of the way, over to a sandy play area with slides. Suddenly I had an idea. Percy had said he had thrown things into the lion's mouth to kill it last time. I began to slice chunks of plastic off the slide in chunks. The sword cut through the plastic easily. I gathered it all in my arms and ran up to the big guy, who was still chucking rocks. There was no way I could throw this stuff by myself, but he could.

"Throw these into its mouth." I told him, handing him a piece of plastic. He looked at me like I was insane, but took the chunk and hurled it at the beasts open mouth. He threw more and more until the lion began to gag and its eyes opened wide.

In a puff of smoke it disappeared. Percy fell through thin air and landed on the beast's remaining pelt.

The big guy and I ran up to him and helped him up.

"Good job, Macy." Percy said with a grin, looking at her. "And who are you?" he asked the big guy.

"Seth Macarthur."

"Good, just the guy we wanted to see."

It all seemed calm and peaceful until suddenly I remembered something pretty important. "Percy…Annabeth…she…" I pointed toward the mangled slides.

Percy's face went pale.

….

**Okay, I know I've cried cliff hanger before, but if this isn't a cliffie, I don't know **_**what **_**is.**

**No, seriously. If this isn't a cliffie I really**_** don't**_** know what is. **

**:3 kiaralilly**


	5. BigHead Has A Soft Side

"Go get Annabeth's backpack from the car, Macy." Percy ordered, and darted off to the slides with Seth right behind him. I did as I was told, and ran up to the car. Annabeth's backpack was wedged underneath the front seat.

I darted back to Percy and handed him the backpack. He dug through it and pulled out a canteen. He pried open Annabeth's mouth and dripped some gold colored liquid into her mouth.

There was a deadly silence as we waited.

Annabeth coughed and her breathing became audible and regular.

Color and relief flooded into Percy's face. "She'll be okay."

"One question." Seth said. "Why did you say you were looking for me?" he asked Percy.

"You know you're a demigod, don't you?" Percy asked.

"Yes."

"Your dad sent us to take you to Camp Half-Blood, a training camp for demigods." Percy said, picking Annabeth up.

Seth looked confused, but nodded.

We took Annabeth to the car, and Percy buckled her into the front seat. "Macy, can you go get Aristos?"

I had almost forgotten about big-head. Seth had gone off to pack, and Percy was now loading the Nemean Lion pelt into the trunk.

I jogged across the street and peered behind the bushes. No Aristos.

"Aristos?" I called.

Silence.

"Hey, big-head!"

I climbed over the little hedge and ran down a grassy slope to a little lake. It was cool and quiet except for the mosquitoes buzzing around my head.

"Aristos!" I called again.

I sighed and looked up at the trees. Where had that idiotic boy gone?

I finally spotted him sitting in the shade of a tree, watching me skeptically.

"Why did you run away like that?"

Aristos turned up his nose. "You wouldn't understand."

"Why are you so afraid of monsters? You're a demigod!" I said gently. Sure, Aristos had a big-head, but if you could have just seen him right then. His eyes sparkled with fear and he was trembling.

When he didn't speak I sat down next to him. "You can tell me."

"You won't tell anyone?"

"No."

"When I was seven my step-dad took me on a trip with him to meet his parents. It was about a month after he and my mom got married. My mom had to stay home and work, her boss wouldn't give her the time off." Aristos muttered. He picked a few blades of grass and began ripping them apart.

"We were in New Jersey…in the middle of nowhere, pretty much. We were driving to his parents' house when our car broke down outside a place called Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium. We went inside to see if she had a phone, but the lady didn't. She was weird…dressed in a big cloak and her face was covered.

"She brought us out food, and my step-dad paid her. After I was done eating I felt really, really sleepy, and it was the middle of the day. It was weird, but I wasn't thinking about that. Aunty Em started complimenting how much we looked like father and son…and she needed some new ideas for her statues. She asked if she could take a picture.

"As she was leading us to a bench, I began to notice that all the statues looked scared. One of them was holding a sword by its side. I finally started to wake up and realize we were in trouble. And when she said, 'say cheese', and began to flip off her hood, I knew this wasn't good. I looked away just in time. My step-dad had turned to stone, and I knew what was going on. What kid hasn't heard of Medusa?

"So I stood up, grabbed the sword from the statue holding it, and tried to fight her, but I couldn't look at her and I was only seven. She scratched me up pretty badly before I managed to get away." Aristos pulled back his sleeve to show a scar that must have once been pretty deep.

"I was found by a police man an hour later. He took me to the hospital and called my mom. I told them the story but they decided I had been attacked by a wild animal and had gone crazy. I spent the next year going to the therapist until my…er…_our_ dad came by and explained to my mom who he was. He told me there would be a lot more monsters…and there have been. I've just never been able to face them.

Aristos suddenly stood up and stalked away. I followed him. "Aristos, come back."

"You probably think I'm an idiot." He said over his shoulder.

"I don't think you're an idiot. I think you need some help getting over your fear."

He turned around to face me. "I'm not afraid!"

"Then why do you keep running away? You can't run away forever…we aren't normal!"

Aristos glared down at me. "Maybe not."

"Why did you tell me that story if you didn't want me to help you?" I asked, annoyed.

Aristos turned, jumped over the hedge, and climbed into the car. I ran after him.

…

Aristos didn't talk to me the rest of the way to Austin. We were stuck in the back of the car on either side of Seth Macarthur, who was so big we got smashed against the windows.

Percy kept stopping on the side of the road to give Annabeth more of the gold liquid, which he called nectar. Eventually she woke up just long enough for Percy to tell her to go back to sleep, and Percy was in a much better mood from then on.

After a good six hours we were in Austin, but it was getting close to midnight, so we stopped at a motel on the side of the road. Percy left us in the car and went inside to pay for two rooms.

We finally all loaded our stuff into the motel rooms, which weren't fabulous but they were comfy enough. It was girls in one room, boys in another, and since there were only two girls, I got my own bed. When I left the guys, Aristos and Seth were arguing over who got stuck with the sofa bed.

Annabeth went straight to sleep, but I took a shower and watched television for a while before I fell asleep. In the morning we all gathered in the boys' room and ordered room service.

Seth and Aristos were arguing on who had the best football team…Wisconsin or Missouri. Percy and Annabeth were talking in hushed voices, and I was pushing my scrambled eggs around my plate, feeling left out.

We left a little after noon, and were at Jamie's house in no time.

The problem was…

"Evicted? They got evicted? How are we supposed to find Jamie, now?" Annabeth asked. She looked massively annoyed with the whole thing. She stormed back to the car and fell into the front seat. She dug her ice pack out of a portable cooler and eased it onto her blonde curls.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Annabeth moaned.

"All the people you're looking for get evicted?" Aristos asked.

"No." Annabeth snapped. "I mean I always get hurt."

"You don't always get hurt." Percy said. Annabeth raised her eyebrows at him. "I get hurt sometimes, too."

Annabeth ignored him. "Come on, let's find out where he lives."


	6. The Empousai

**Thanks everybody, for reading and reviewing! **

**PLEASE REVIEW! **

…**.**

"Maybe if I Google his name…" Annabeth murmured. Percy and I were leaning over Annabeth's shoulder as she surfed the web on a little computer. We were in a dark internet café filled with some dodgy people.

"Ah, look. Jamie King's blog. I wonder if he has a picture…"

"You know what he looks like?" I asked.

"No, but Hermes's kids look pretty much the same. Blonde hair, good looks…I guess it's a family thing." Annabeth said with a shrug.

"Oh." I muttered. I caught a glimpse of myself in a nearby mirror. I had bruises on my face, and my hair, which was pale blonde, was pulled back in a rubber band. Good looks? I didn't think so.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Annabeth let out a strangled squeal. I looked at the screen. Jamie King's picture was in the corner. He looked just like Annabeth had described children of Hermes to be.

"He looks just like…" Annabeth began in a strangled voice. Percy's face darkened and he scrolled down so the picture was hidden.

"He moved to an apartment in Houston. Come on." Percy muttered, writing down the address and closing the window.

After that we just drove some more, so I'll skip to where we get to Jamie's apartment.

We found him doing cannonballs into the community pool. A few pretty girls were cheering him on, as some teenage guys were trying to get their attention.

Annabeth tugged on the sleeve of Percy's jacket. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah. It's Kelli the _empousa." _

"Kelli?"

"She's tried to kill me a few times. I picked up her name."

I studied the girls. They didn't look abnormal to me. They looked like popular high school girls in too short skirts.

Jamie was only ten, but he loved the attention.

"I'll take Kelli, you get Jamie out." Percy said.

"No way! As I remember it, the only reason you didn't _die _last time was because Rachel was there." Annabeth said rudely. "Macy and I will help you, but Seth and Aristos need to take Jamie. They'll be too affected by their spell."

"What…what are they?" I asked nervously. "They look normal."

"They're _empousai." _Annabeth said in a hushed tone. "They're like vampires."

"Hot vampires." Aristos muttered, peering over the fence. Seth was trying to jiggle the gate open without the key required.

"Oooh, no." Annabeth said, swatting Seth's hand away from the gate. He gave her that 'son-of-Ares-I'm-going-to-knock-you-into-next-week' look. She didn't seem fazed. "That proves it. Seth and Aristos will grab Jamie and run, get in the car, and drive to that park down the street. Percy, Macy and I will hold off the _empousai." _

While everybody else was arguing over the plan I was watching the _empousai. _Their eyes flickered over to us, and they began to whisper to each other. "Guys…" I said, but they didn't hear me.

The _empousai _were now walking over to Jamie now. The blonde one put her hand on his shoulder and smiled sweetly. He nodded in agreement to whatever he said.

"Guys…!"

The blonde _empousa _put an arm around Jamie's shoulders and began to lead him away from the pool.

"GUYS!"

They still ignored me, so I whipped out my sword and cut through the lock on the gate. I started darting across the pool deck, but one of the blonde _empousa's _friends jumped in front of me. Her face paled and her teeth grew into fangs. Her legs were weird…one was bronze and the other was an animal leg.

"Uhhh…" I backed up a few steps. "Guys?"

I didn't dare look over my shoulder. This thing was a lot scarier then she had looked at first.

She lunged at me and I sliced at her. She ducked and bared her teeth at me. I looked over her shoulder to see that Kelli had turned to look like a vampire donkey girl, too. She was holding a terrified Jamie.

I saw Percy dart past me, his sword aloft. "Hey, ugly!" he yelled at the blonde _empousa. _

The _empousa _I was fighting snarled at me again and swiped at me. That gave me an opprotunity to slice her in the stomach. She screeched and burst into powder.

"Good job, Macy!" Annabeth said. She looked over to where Percy, Jamie, and the blonde _empousa _had been, but they weren't there. "Oh, gods, where are they?"

She began to run at full speed. I was right behind her. We ran into the parking lot, where they were nowhere to be seen. Annabeth looked like she was about to cry. "Where is he…that stupid idiot! I told him to wait for me!"

"Can _empousa _fly?" I asked, looking up.

Annabeth shook her head. "No. Where could they be?"

I saw a flame flicker in between two of the apartment buildings. "There. Look!"

We ran into the alley, where Jamie was being held by a third _empousa, _one I hadn't seen before, while the blonde one was baring her fangs at an unarmed Percy. She lunged at him and he ducked.

Annabeth gripped her dagger angrily. "I'll kill her the way I did the last time, that evil, no good…" she took a few swift steps and plunged the dagger into the unsuspecting _empousa's _back. She gasped and exploded.

I hit the second _empousa _with the hilt of my sword, and she let Jamie go. She lunged at me and Percy sliced her in half with his sword.

"Who _are _you people?" Jamie asked.

But Annabeth and Percy were fighting again.

"I told you to wait for me!" Annabeth said.

"If I had, Jamie would have been killed!"

"_You _were almost killed!"

"I _can't _be killed." Percy snapped.

"Then how come you were unarmed?"

Percy turned red.

"Oh, _lovely." _Annabeth snapped, and turned around on her heel.

"Wait…Annabeth!"

He ran after her.

"What's _their _problem?" Jamie asked.

"I have no clue." I said with a shrug. "Now, come on, Jamie, we have to talk. "

I led Jamie back to the pool where we sat by the water and I did my best to tell him who he was…a son of Hermes.

"You're crazy." He said, his eyes wide.

"Then how do you explain those monsters that just attacked us?" I asked, using the point Annabeth and Percy had used on me.

He was silent. "So this is real?" he asked. "I can go to a camp in New York year round and I don't have to live with my brother anymore?"

I shook my head. "Not if you don't want to. You can come with us."

"So…who's your parent…the one who's a god?"

"Same as yours…Hermes."

"So…you're like my sister?"

I shrugged. "Yeah."

"Well…what now?"

"Go pack…get a few things you need and meet us out here by the pool in ten minutes." I said.

He jumped up hurriedly and ran toward the apartment buildings. I walked back to the parking lot, where the car was parked. Seth and Aristos were playing catch with an old baseball they had found in the back of the car, and Annabeth was reading the map. She still seemed to be acting cold toward Percy.

"He's packing." I said. Nobody answered me…well, nobody seemed like they were in a very good mood. Seth kept throwing the baseball too far, making Aristos run and go get it. And, well, Annabeth and Percy got into fights about things I hadn't known them long enough to know about.

Well, this was turning out to be a fun trip.

Not.


End file.
